DENVER – No. 1 MSU Denver took a quick first step into the postseason Tuesday, with 3-0 sweep of New Mexico Highlands in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament
 
"Short and sweet and to the point, but New Mexico Highlands is a tough team and they were putting us in certain situations," middle blocker Ember Canty said. "But throughout the match we found our flow a little bit more."
 
The 25-14, 25-14, 25-23 victory at the Auraria Event Center moved the Roadrunners into a Friday semifinal, scheduled for 7:30 p.m., against fifth-seeded CSU-Pueblo, which knocked off fourth seed and national No. 25 Regis in five sets Tuesday. The two-match card at MSU Denver opens at 5 p.m. with second seed and national No. 10 Colorado School of Mines taking on third seed Colorado Mesa.
 
The winners play Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Auraria Event Center.
 
MSU Denver hit .400 in the first set before finishing at .261 and also ripped 10 service aces.
 
"The first couple of sets it was tough to get a lot of rhythm or flow because there were a lot of errors happening," MSU Denver coach Jenny Glenn said. "We stayed pretty focused through that and played well on our side of the net. We always try to keep speed in those situations so that we're running our offense at tempo."
 
Canty and true freshman Riley Anderson each had a team-high eight kills for the Roadrunners. Canty added a team-best four block assists, while Anderson hit a blistering .389 in her first postseason match.
 
"I think running a fast offense and not slowing down was key," Anderson said. "Obviously New Mexico Highlands is very good at defense and I think we handled it really well by mixing up shots and keeping up pace on our side."
 
Anderson played a starring role during the team's run to the Colorado Premier Challenge championship in September, then moved in and out of the lineup for six weeks. Now she's averaged 2.2 kills per set while hitting .321 over the last five matches.
 
"She's really growing right now," Glenn said. "Her confidence is building. She's understanding the game a little more and understanding what shots to take in different situations. And she's handling the passing game a lot better than she was early in the season. Those things put together has built her confidence and built our team's confidence in her."
 
Rylee Hladky led MSU Denver with 16 digs and four service aces, while Delaney Eckhardt set a season-high 14 assists.
 
On a team with incredible skill, Glenn was able to showcase of its incredible depth.
 
"I wanted as many people as possible to get that first taste of postseason, to get whatever nerves they might have out," Glenn said. "Now they're ready to go the next time we call upon them. That's been our strength, our magic, this year, the ability to switch around and do different things. That was the intent – to raise the unit."